The Phantom Virus

by Mark Cheverton

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” Hunter said behind him.

  Gameknight glanced over his shoulder at her and tried to give her an encouraging smile, but all he could muster was an uncertain grimace.

  I know the feeling, he thought to himself.

  Gameknight knew they had no choice. Herobrine’s timer was somewhere down in these tunnels, and nothing was going to stop him from reaching it. He only hoped they could get there in time before everything and everyone was destroyed.

  CHAPTER 21

  SKELETONS

  The explosion rumbled through the rock around them. Reaper glanced up at the walls of the massive cavern, wondering if they would hold or if a thousand blocks of stone and sand were about to fall down upon their bony heads.

  But hold they did, and an evil smile spread across the skeleton king’s pale face.

  “It appearssss we have vissssitorssss,” the spider queen said. “Perhapssss I sssshould recall my sssspiderssss from outsssside.”

  “No,” Reaper snapped. “You said your spiders were patrolling around the base of the mountain, right?”

  The queen of the spiders nodded her fuzzy black head.

  “Leave them there. This may just be a single NPC or user looking for adventure. Let your spider army continue to watch the base of the mountain so that the User-that-is-not-a-user will not reach the tunnel entrance. I will take care of the any intruders—that is, if any of them survive long enough to find me.”

  Reaper reached into his inventory and drew his longbow. He turned and peered into the dark shadows that surrounded the edge of the cobblestone platform on which they stood. Slowly, he raised his bow high overhead, signaling to his troops. Seeing the command, a hundred skeletons stepped out of the darkness and moved to the center of the platform, each with a deadly bow in their pale fists, arrows notched.

  “I will personally deploy my skeletons throughout the tunnels that burrow deep into this mountain,” the king of the skeletons said. “We will plug every tunnel with my warriors so that the intruders will be denied entrance to this sacred cave. If it is the User-that-is-not-a-user, then even better. He will not be allowed to interfere with Herobrine’s command blocks.”

  The skeleton king strode out of the cavern with his army of monsters following close behind him, the clatter of their bones echoing off the walls.

  They moved across the bridge that led from the cobblestone platform to the single opening in the side of the massive cavern. With no railing on the side of the bridge, the monsters slowed so as not to fall. They all knew that the darkness surrounding the bridge stretched all the way down to bedrock, and a fall would be a lethal mistake.

  Once they were safely across, the skeletons spread out, moving farther into the tunnel to make room for the rest of the monster horde. Reaper, who had waited to cross the bridge last, pushed his way through the collection of bony creatures until he was at the head of the company. He then led his army through the complex labyrinth of passages. The tunnel split multiple times, each intersecting corridor leading in a different direction. Redstone torches adorned the walls here and there, casting just enough light to navigate the shadowy passages, yet still keeping the tunnel in darkness. The king of the skeletons left a squad of monsters at the mouth of every corridor, making sure his warriors protected every pathway to Herobrine’s chamber.

  “Hug the walls and stay in the shadows, my warriors,” Reaper commanded to every group. “I’m sure the many traps hidden throughout the tunnels above us will destroy anyone that tries to get down here. But if they fail and the User-that-is-not-a-user shows his pathetic face, then one of you must come to Herobrine’s chamber and report his presence, while the rest stay and engage him in glorious battle.”

  All of the skeletons looked eager to meet their enemy, but none more than Reaper. Notching an arrow to his longbow, he tested the sharpness of the arrowhead. The razor-sharp point scratched a deep line into his bony finger. He held the bow and arrow up over his head and laughed with evil glee.

  “Soon, you will become very acquainted with this arrow, Gameknight999,” Reaper said aloud to the echoing tunnel, then laughed a dry, hacking laugh, his lifeless eyes filled with hatred.

  CHAPTER 22

  THE CAVE OF DOOM

  Trapper led the party slowly through the passages, a torch in one hand. She stared straight down as she moved cautiously forward, inspecting every inch of the tunnel’s floor for pressure plates and tripwires. So far, Trapper had disarmed seven booby-traps, all of them similar in design and placement, which made them easier to spot.

  As they moved along a straight section, a sound, barely audible, echoed off the stone walls.

  “Everyone stop,” Gameknight said in a hushed voice.

  “Why are you whispering?” Hunter asked, her voice not so quiet.

  “Shhh … there are monsters nearby,” he replied. “Stand still and listen.”

  They all stood motionless and strained their ears for any noises echoing through the passage.

  And then it happened again—a clattering sound, like someone was shaking a bag filled with old, dry sticks.

  “Skeletons,” Butch growled as he drew his iron sword.

  A purple glow filled the tunnel when Hunter and Stitcher drew their own enchanted weapons. In the dimly-lit tunnel, the additional light seemed bright … and too obvious. It would make them much easier to see, Gameknight realized.

  “Everyone, put away your enchanted weapons and magical armor,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “The light they’re giving off will give us away too soon. We need the cover of darkness to get close and retain the element of surprise.”

  “But I need a torch to see if there are any traps ahead,” Trapper said.

  “We haven’t come across a trap for a while,” Gameknight replied after he thought for a moment. “There certainly can’t be any traps near the skeletons. The clumsy monsters would set them off and be destroyed.” He looked down at the young NPC and shrugged. “We’ll just have to risk it.”

  Gameknight quietly took off his enchanted diamond armor and replaced it with a set of dull iron. He then drew his iron sword and red shield and moved on through the tunnel. The sound of clattering bones grew louder as he went forward. Clearly, there were skeletons ahead, but it did not sound as if it were a large group. Ahead, the tunnel curved to the left. The sound was coming from just around that corner.

  Moving as quietly as possible, Gameknight stepped up to the rocky bend, then peered around it. In the intersection of two tunnels, he saw a collection of skeletons just barely visible in the light of a nearby redstone torch. The monsters seemed to be trying to hide in the darkness near the torch, but too many were foolishly standing near the light. As a result, he could see at least four of the creatures. Likely there were just as many close by, hiding in the shadows.

  Pulling his head back, the User-that-is-not-a-user turned and faced his friends.

  “There are skeletons ahead, as we thought,” Gameknight said. “It isn’t clear how many, as I’d bet some are probably hiding in the darkness. Here’s what we’re going to do.”

  Gameknight999 explained his plan. Once everyone knew their jobs, the User-that-is-not-a-user drew his iron sword and shield, then readied himself for battle.

  “Everyone ready?” he asked.

  The NPCs all nodded their blocky heads.

  “OK, Digger, Butch, let’s go,” Gameknight said. “Crafter, wait ten seconds, then follow with the rest.”

  “OK,” replied his friend.

  Gripping his sword firmly, Gameknight dashed around the corner and headed straight for the monsters, his shield held before him, Digger and Butch one step behind.

  His footsteps betrayed his presence before he reached the light of the redstone torch. Arrows bounced off his shield as he charged forward. Not bothering to watch where he was running, Gameknight smashed through the skeletons without slowing, then continued down the corridor. After four blocks, he skidded to a stop, then
turned to face the monsters.

  Gameknight tossed his shield up to Butch, who was now closest to the skeletons. With sharp missiles bouncing off their defenses, they slowly but steadily advanced. Gameknight moved to Butch’s right, while Digger went to the left.

  Crafter then appeared out of the darkness with the rest of the army, attacking the skeletons from behind. They fell on the monsters with such ferocity that the skeletons had no choice but to take a step back to regain their balance. Now surrounded, the NPCs tore into the monster formation, carving a path of destruction through the mob. As the bones and XP began to fill the floor, one of the skeletons dropped its bow and fled into the darkness.

  “Herder, don’t let that monster get away!” Gameknight shouted.

  “Wolves, attack!” Herder yelled.

  A dozen furry white blurs streaked into the darkness, their growls filling the air. The clatter of bones sounded, then everything was silent. The wolves trotted back a minute later, a look of majestic pride on their faces.

  “Try to keep one alive,” Gameknight reminded his army, as the mob shrank smaller and smaller.

  Finally, only one remained. Somehow, Hunter managed to knock the bow from its grip, leaving the skeleton with only an arrow to defend itself. Slowly, the NPCs closed in, surrounding the lone defender.

  “You can answer our questions, and live,” Gameknight said as he pushed through the crowd. “Or you can perish.”

  When he reached the front of the group, the skeleton looked surprised when it saw the letters floating over Gameknight’s head.

  “The enemy is here,” the skeleton hissed.

  “Apparently you’re famous,” Hunter said with a smile.

  The skeleton jumped at Gameknight, holding the arrow like a dagger, but before it could make contact, Butch slammed into the creature with the shield. The monster flashed red as the collision took more of its HP, leaving it barely alive. The skeleton crumbled to the floor.

  “Now I will say again: you can answer our questions and live, or be destroyed,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  “It does not matter,” the skeleton said. “We are prepared for you and your villagers. The enemy will never set foot inside of Herobrine’s chamber. Our skeletons are ready at every entrance. You don’t stand a chance.”

  “He’s a chatty one,” Hunter said with a grin.

  “Hunter, shush,” Stitcher chided.

  “I was hoping to fight some spiders down here. You skeletons are too easy to pose any real challenge,” Gameknight goaded.

  “Shaivalak has something waiting for you down there that will destroy you and all your pathetic NPCs,” the skeleton rasped. “At the flick of a switch, she will crush all of you. But you will never get near enough for her to use that block. Our skeletons will stop you. A group this large could never get into Herobrine’s chamber without being seen.”

  “We’ll see about that, skeleton,” Gameknight said with a smile. “Thank you for the information, though.”

  The monster glared at the User-that-is-not-a-user, his eyes burning with hatred. With the last bit of his strength, the monster lunged at Gameknight999. But before it could reach him, two flaming arrows streaked through the air and destroyed the creature.

  “I knew the skeleton was going to try something like that,” Hunter said from the right side of the tunnel.

  "Me, too,” Stitcher added from the left.

  “You heard what he said about the spider queen switching a block on,” Crafter said. “It matches what the spider said. They must have meant a command block.”

  “But how can they use a block to cause spiders to appear?” Digger asked.

  “Command blocks can be used to do incredible things in Minecraft,” Gameknight explained. “Spawning monsters is a relatively easy task. Maybe that’s what the spider has, a command block that will either create or teleport her minions to her.”

  “That sounds bad,” Butch said.

  “It does indeed,” Crafter replied.

  “But the skeleton give us even more information,” Gameknight added. “He said that a large party could not sneak their way into the chamber. That means two things. One: there is a chamber that we must find, and two: a small party could sneak in.”

  “But where is the chamber?” Crafter asked.

  “I think I know the answer to that question,” said a voice from the darkness.

  Trapper stepped out from the tunnel that continued leading downward, further into the depths of the mountain. Her blonde hair glowed a warm orange when she entered into the light of the redstone torch.

  “While all of you were doing your fighting thing, I went forward and explored a little,” she said. “A little way down this tunnel, there is a hole in the wall that opens to a massive cavern. Come see.”

  Without waiting for anyone to respond, she turned and ran off into the darkness. Gameknight looked at Crafter and shrugged, then followed the girl, the rest of the NPCs following close behind. They followed the tunnel for maybe a minute when they came to a section that was missing a wall.

  Gameknight moved along the wall and peered around the edge of the hole. Below was a massive cavern bigger than any zombie-town he’d ever seen. There was one entrance to the cave. He could see it was guarded by a small group of skeletons. Reaper stood nearby with his huge longbow made of bone in his right hand. There were no other monsters visible.

  “That foolish skeleton king must have spread out his forces through all the tunnels,” Butch said. “You never divide your forces. What was that idiot thinking?”

  “You wish he had all his skeletons together?” Hunter asked.

  Butch shook his head. “I’m glad he is a fool,” the big NPC replied. “It will be that much easier for us.”

  “Gameknight, you see the numbers on the far end of the chamber?” Crafter said.

  He glanced in the direction Crafter was pointing. Bright numbers made from redstone lanterns were visible on the dark wall, the number 18 shining bright. It dropped to 17 as they watched.

  “That must be hooked up the timer circuit,” Gameknight said as he fit the pieces of the puzzle together in his mind.

  Crafter nodded, then reached into his inventory and pulled out a redstone torch. He placed it on the far wall, casting a dim crimson glow in the tunnel, allowing them to see each other a little better.

  “Why didn’t Herobrine have the thing just go off already?” Stitcher asked.

  “I bet he’s waiting until that pool beneath the display is filled,” Gameknight said. “Notice the lava flowing out from that hole in the wall? I bet the timer is waiting until the pool is filled, then the command blocks will teleport the lava to all of the villages.”

  “We have to stop that timer,” Digger said, his voice filled with rage. “But how do we get down there? You see that narrow bridge? Even a small group of skeletons could hold that bridge against a large force for a long time.” He turned away from the cavern and looked at Gameknight999. “This is going to be difficult, if not impossible. We’ll have to get past the skeletons in that chamber, then deal with the spider queen and her magical command block. Then we’d have to go to the far end of the cavern and destroy everything. I don’t know how we’re going to do it.”

  Crafter nodded, agreeing with Digger’s summation.

  Gameknight moved forward and peered down into the chamber again. As he stared at the cave and skeletons and bridge, the puzzle pieces started to tumble around in his head. He knew there was a solution here; he just had to see it.

  I can’t believe anyone would try to destroy all the lives on the server, just for spite, Gameknight thought. This must be stopped. I’m responsible for this because I didn’t stop Herobrine sooner. I cannot … no, I will not allow this to happen.

  “It sure would be convenient if this cavern had a back door,” Hunter said. “Maybe we could just use that to sneak in and solve all our problems.”

  Suddenly an image of the obsidian pillars in The End flashed in his mind. />
  Of course … it worked then, it would have to work now. But what about the spider’s command block?

  One of the wolves nipped at Gameknight’s ankle. He looked down at the animal and realized what the creature was thinking.

  “Of course,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said to the animal. “I’m sure that would work. I bet the Oracle told you to do that, didn’t she?”

  The music of Minecraft swelled in his mind as all the pieces of the plan came together, making him smile. The wolf panted happily.

  “Oh no … Gameknight’s started talking to himself,” Hunter said. “Either he’s going crazy, or he’s figured it all out.”

  “Hunter, be quiet and let him think,” Stitcher snapped.

  Gameknight turned to the sisters and smiled.

  “You did figure it out, didn’t you?” Hunter asked.

  He nodded.

  “Is it dangerous?” Stitcher asked.

  Gameknight nodded again.

  “Insanely dangerous?” Hunter asked.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user nodded and gave her a smile.

  “I like it!” she exclaimed.

  “OK,” Gameknight said. “Let me tell you what I have in mind.”

  CHAPTER 23

  TUNNELS

  Gameknight, Hunter, and Butch left their companions in the narrow tunnel, careful to make as little noise as possible as they disappeared into the darkness. The User-that-is-not-a-user looked back at their company. They were still clustered around the small opening that looked down into the massive chamber, the single redstone torch barely making them visible. Each was taking turns looking at the device of destruction that sat on the rocky floor below, waiting.

  I hope my plan works and we can get into that cave without any of the skeletons knowing we’re there, Gameknight thought. We can’t battle hundreds of skeletons with the few NPCs we have—that would be suicide.